Chapter 144: The 100% Within the 100%

“What a sorrowful wind!” Sensing the cold aura emanating from Qin Xiaochuan’s body, Yuan rose from the ground. “It’s as if his body has been drained, leaving only sorrowful emotions endlessly radiating from within.”

“Indeed! It’s like he’s battling himself,” Frost also stood up, looking at Qin Xiaochuan across from them with concern. “As long as he can’t forgive himself, no matter how strong the spiritual energy inside him grows, it’s like a soulless corpse. Can he still fight Sikong Lang in this state?!”

“Your heart must ache so much, hee hee hee!” Sikong Lang laughed wildly, staring at Qin Xiaochuan’s hollow gaze. He felt the power inside Qin Xiaochuan steadily rising, inching ever closer to his own level. The moment he had long awaited was nearly here. “It’s like having herpes—once you overcome this pain, it won’t torment you anymore. You feel helpless now, don’t you? Don’t you want to become stronger? Don’t you want to be as powerful as I am? To reach my level, even if it means abandoning everything, it’s worth it! Now is the time. Trust me completely! Power decides everything!”

“No, I am different from you,” Qin Xiaochuan’s eyes shone with clarity as he heard Sikong Lang’s near-mad ideology. “It’s precisely because of everyone’s presence that I’ve been able to grow to where I am now, just like them.”

“Naïve, so naïve! Haven’t you realized?” Sikong Lang grew more furious, watching as Qin Xiaochuan seemed to regain clarity. He cared nothing for the attachments in Qin Xiaochuan’s heart; the only thing that mattered was to make Qin Xiaochuan unleash power equal to his own, even if it meant killing all his companions. “You alone are enough! How about killing one more? Otherwise, you won’t understand! No, kill them all!” Glancing at the small Yan Wang and the others, Sikong Lang made the decision to slaughter them all. If it meant pushing Qin Xiaochuan to his level, he was willing to sacrifice every one of his comrades. With that, Sikong Lang stepped forward toward them.

But just as he was about to move, Qin Xiaochuan suddenly gripped his right hand tightly.

“Let go!”

“I… once vaguely… admired you.” Holding Sikong Lang’s wrist, Qin Xiaochuan did not look at him but bowed his head, speaking the words he had long wished to say. “You showed me the gap in absolute power. I was so scared I wet my pants, blindly admiring your strength, unable even to grasp your true nature. My grandmother once told me that those heavy chains were burdens that hindered my growth, but I refused to listen. Even if I have nothing, I will never abandon all that I wish to protect—everything of mine! I finally understand that what you abandoned is exactly what I am fighting to protect! I will hold onto it firmly and never let it suffer even the slightest harm again!”

‘Xiaochuan’s aura was no longer chaotic; his gaze had grown clear!’ Sensing the change in spiritual energy, Bai Ying knew Qin Xiaochuan had awakened, and his power had undergone a qualitative leap. Was this now Qin Xiaochuan’s strength? It was by no means inferior to Sikong Lang’s!

“…You truly are a disciple of Jinghai,” Sikong Lang said impatiently, looking at the one gripping his wrist. “Is that all the power you have?”

“I will not let you harm anyone anymore. For that, I must defeat you!” Qin Xiaochuan’s eyes blazed with determination as he stared up at Sikong Lang, who was two heads taller.

“Hmph! Can you really do it?” Before Sikong Lang could finish, Qin Xiaochuan’s right fist slammed hard into his left cheek. The immense force distorted Sikong Lang’s face, and his body was slammed violently onto the ground, sliding into the first level of the audience stands. Before he could rise, a massive spirit orb whizzed past him, tearing a huge hole in the stands behind and soaring into the distant forest beyond the island. The orb, surrounded by airwaves, split the ocean surface as it vanished at supersonic speed over the horizon.

“This next one will be the final shot,” Qin Xiaochuan said solemnly, pointing at the rising Sikong Lang. “I will pour all I have into this spirit orb. You unleash the power you gained by abandoning your soul, and I will use my power to shatter it and claim the final victory!”

“Gah!” After repositioning his crooked head, Sikong Lang fixed a serious gaze on Qin Xiaochuan. “Good eyes. It was exactly that gaze that carried me over countless corpses to get here. Back then, no matter how weak my opponent, I always gave my all! And now, I will unleash my unprecedented strength. Let’s settle this!”

With that, Sikong Lang raised his power again. His muscles bulged, swelling like mighty tree roots beneath his skin. His shoulder muscle armor was pushed outward, his entire body swelling with raw power. “100% of 100%!” Every ounce of muscle strength was brought forth as Sikong Lang charged toward Qin Xiaochuan like a colossal locomotive. “To master a power to its peak, you must abandon all distractions. If you can’t do that, you’re nothing but an amateur.”

“You say abandon, but that’s just running away,” Qin Xiaochuan said as Sikong Lang charged. Raising his right hand, he gathered all his spiritual power. “All the spiritual energy within me, gather now! I will pour all my strength into this one spirit orb, even if it means never firing another again, even if it costs my life.”

“So enormous!” Yuan exclaimed, eyes wide as Qin Xiaochuan’s entire body became enveloped in spiritual energy. He had never seen such a gigantic spirit orb.

“This will decide the outcome!” The demons in the stands stood up, the moment of fate approaching. If Qin Xiaochuan won, they would all be saved. If Sikong Lang triumphed, they would become his prey. Many clenched their fists nervously, wishing they could rush forward and lend their demonic energy to Qin Xiaochuan.

‘Not enough. I must summon even more power.’ Feeling the spiritual energy concentrated in the orb, Qin Xiaochuan poured every last bit of his life force into it.

“Such terrifying power,” Wu cried out, amazed by the power concentrated within Qin Xiaochuan’s orb. He had never felt such dreadful energy before—the kind that sends shivers down one’s spine. The orb shot forth from Qin’s right hand. “That’s his very life!”

“Woah!!! Take this!” With a roar, Qin Xiaochuan launched the orb toward Sikong Lang. It contained all his spiritual power, wishes, hopes, and life. After firing it, Qin Xiaochuan collapsed to his knees, utterly drained.

“Waaah!” Seeing the orb flying at him, Sikong Lang reached out with his right hand to block it single-handedly. But the orb’s power was overwhelming; the moment it touched the veins in his arm, they burst, spraying blood. Alarmed, he raised his left hand too, but even both arms couldn’t fully contain the orb. The muscles on his arms bulged fiercely from the strain.

“Look! Sikong Lang is defending with both hands for the first time!”

“Yeah! Looks like he’s losing ground!”

“He’s being pushed back!”

“Such terrifying power!”

“Is the orb going to explode?”

“So scary!”

…

Seeing Sikong Lang exerting his full strength to contain the orb, all the demons in the stands stood as one, eyes fixed below. That orb was like their lives, locked in a battle of power with Sikong Lang.

“Waaahhhh!!!” Realizing he was faltering, Sikong Lang pressed his body forward, his arms like iron bands clutching the orb tightly. Using 100% of his strength, he was utterly spent.

“Waaahhh!!” With a mighty roar, Sikong Lang crushed the orb in his grasp.

“How could this be!?”

“We’re doomed!”

“We’re going to be eaten!”

…

Those watching were stunned. Such a massive orb, crushed by Sikong Lang—it was horrifying. It was all over: Qin Xiaochuan had lost, and they would all become food. Many demons sagged in their seats, overcome with despair.

“Thank you, Qin Xiaochuan… This is the first time I’ve unleashed such power,” Sikong Lang said with a satisfied expression, looking at Qin Xiaochuan collapsed on the ground. Sweat drenched his face, and that last effort had drained him completely. He could no longer stand.

“Pft!” Blood sprayed from his mouth as the muscle armor encasing Sikong Lang shattered into fragments, scattering around his body. Stripped of his muscle armor, Sikong Lang collapsed to the ground after expending all his strength.

“A… a draw?”

“We’re saved!”